This year, Homecoming weekend occurred from September 29 to October 1. Hundreds of students, parents, and alumni came together on campus for a weekend of festivities.
Homecoming began as a tradition at Union in 1923, and Union’s Special Collections department hosted an open house to showcase historical artifacts from previous celebrations. “The earliest evidence that we have of that first 1923 event was from a special committee on April 28, 1923 that was a part of the Graduate Council. They researched what other schools were doing regarding fundraising, bringing alumni back to campus, and having them attend classes as a way to re-engage with alumni,” Joseph Luek from Special Collections said of the event. “And from there it really went on. In the 1940s we have the first evidence of a formal association with football. And then from there it really went on to become the tradition and celebration that we have today.”
The weekend started off with about 20 students presenting their summer research on September 29. Hannah Shames ‘24 presented her research with the biology department involving infertility in couples trying to conceive. “In this study, HEK cells expressing the hFSHR [lipid] were transfected with a mutant caveolin protein to investigate the role of caveolin in the hFSHR’s activity. We found that disrupting the function of caveolin resulted in altered signaling via the p44/42 and CREB pathways.” Shames said in her abstract.
Another student, Gabriella Baratier ‘25, presented their research on the history of queer people at Union. Baratier explained, “I was awarded the Ruth Ann Evans Research Fellowship to research an under researched aspect of Union College history. So I focused on LGBTQ people at Union, and this was quite an interesting process because there’s not a queer collection [of artifacts].” They continue by saying “the materials that I ended up pulling were from dozens of different collections, ranging centuries. It’s a really interesting process to be able to go into existing collections and rediscover the materials as pieces of queer history when they’ve never been cataloged in such a way.” Baratier will also present their work on October 11, at 5 p.m. on the first floor of Schaeffer Library.
On the 29th at Library Plaza, Union’s Golub house hosted its yearly Oktoberfest, where a band played German music, and the Minerva served German food. Hundreds of attendees enjoyed the experience of eating food from a different culture.
Attendees were also able to enjoy various receptions across campus. The night of the 29th ended with ACE and Tech House hosting a silent disco dance party in the Nott Memorial.
The 30th began with a picnic on Library Plaza, where hundreds of attendees were able to enjoy food from local restaurants, and Union’s dining staff. Union’s Zakuro-Daiko Japanese Drumming Ensemble also performed for the attendees.
Local restaurants enjoyed being able to share their food with the attendees. “I love seeing all the different people and meeting all the students,” Sandy from Sandy’s Cafe on Nott Street remarked.
Later in the day, Union recognized hundreds of students for earning a spot on the Dean’s List for the 2022-2023 academic year. The students were presented with a plaque containing each of their names, which will be displayed in Reamer Campus Center.
Two major sports teams also had games this weekend. Union Women’s Hockey started their season strong on the 29th with a 5-2 win over Robert Morris University. The Garnet Chargers had scoring shots from Maddie Suitor ‘25, Stephanie Borque ‘26, Allison Smith ‘24, Riley Walsh ‘26, and Kendal Davidson ‘27. The Chargers lost in a hard fought game on the 30th, going 3-2 against Robert Morris during overtime, with scores from Emily King ‘24 and Paige Greco ‘25.
On September 30, hundreds of Union students, alumni, parents, and community members gathered around Frank Bailey Field to watch Union’s Football team play against St. Lawrence University. The Chargers won against St. Lawrence 34-0, with the cannon fired after each touchdown. The team has won all 5 games they have played this year, including the St. Lawrence game being their first Liberty League win of the year.
During the intermission of the Women’s Hockey and Football games on the 30th, Delta Phi Epsilon and Sigma Phi won the Rumbold Cup and the Brown Trophy, respectively. The two Greek organizations won these awards for their scholarship, service, and excellence to the community.
Finally, the event ended with a fireworks display on the evening of September 30, and a farewell breakfast on October 1.
Union students, parents, and alumni can look forward to another year of festivities next October. Until then, members of the campus community can enjoy sports games, and other events throughout the year.
